Children's charity asks for €5 text in bid to raise €400,000

The Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation has announced a special appeal to help it bridge a €400,000 shortfall in funds, without which it says it will have to cut back its services.

The charity, which provides intensive home nursing care, funding and support to the families of children with brain damage, says it has been hit hard by a drop in public donations, a slowdown in the mobile phone recycling market and a reduction in its HSE grant.

Chief executive and founder Jonathan Irwin said as well as “constant Government cutbacks, we have a lot of babies who were much more fragile than usual, that is because there is more saving of premature babies. We are also looking after a number of children over the age of four,” which is normally the cut-off point for its services.

Its operations cost €2.7 million a year, and less than 20 per cent comes from the HSE. “This campaign is not about expanding our services, it’s simply about maintaining the lifeline we currently provide” to hundreds of families, he said.

Under the charity’s “Bringing Home” campaign, people are being asked to donate €5 by texting “WE CARE” to 57034.